Why Sylvia Browne Just Does Not Matter

There has been a huge commotion caused by the fact that in 2004 Sylvia Browne told Amanda Berry’s late mother that her missing daughter was dead. In fact, as we now know, Amanda Berry was very much alive and being held captive.

Everyone- Pagans, psychics, professional skeptics and the news media are pouncing on Sylvia. Some are even blaming her for the unfortunate death of Louwanna Berry.

Professional psychics are worried that Sylvia’s error and the publicity thereof will be bad for business.

Here are some reasons why I think we need to move on from this and recognize that what Sylvia said in 2004 just doesn’t matter.

First, I am not a fan of Sylvia Browne. I think she lacks compassion. I think she is coarse. You can read my review of her 2010 appearance in South Florida to get my full opinion of Sylvia Browne.

However, I don’t think anything she said or did has any impact on my life as a professional psychic tarot reader.

I agree that she treated Louwanna Berry without compassion. I hope I would have handled the situation differently. But let’s remember the setting of the reading. Louwanna Berry had agreed to appear on the Montel Williams show to use her family’s tragedy to garner prime-time TV ratings.

I would no sooner recommend that a person seek psychic help to find a missing family member on a sensational TV show than I would suggest that a person unsure of the parentage of their child seek a paternity test from Maury Povich.

I have done my share of on-air readings on broadcast AM/FM radio and local TV. I hope that if I were asked to do a show specifically about missing people I would have the decency to decline. On-air readings should be entertaining.

I have done my share of work with missing people. I have worked with local police departments to help find runaways. I have a good success rate. But I wouldn’t want to do that sort of work on TV.

I think if we are going to fault Sylvia for anything beyond her gruff manner, let’s fault her for agreeing to do a “missing persons” show in the first place.

Another point is that Sylvia did get some of the information perfectly. She said that the mother would only see the daughter on the other side. That was true, since the mother died before the daughter escaped. She said the daughter was in or under a house. That was true, too. Amanda was kept in a basement at first, and always kept in the house.

She said Amanda’s abductor was Cuban, or looked Cuban. Well, his name is Castro. Not a bad hit.

I find it laughable when people say that Sylvia’s predictions kept the authorities from looking for Amanda as hard as they could. Yes, police do use psychics to help with clues, sometimes very successfully. But I am sure no police department would call off a search for a living person because a psychic on TV said the person was dead.

Of course those whose main mission in life is to discredit psychics are having a field day with this. But one wonders, what kind of person would make discrediting psychics their main mission in life?

Many of us who consider ourselves ethical psychics are concerned about this. Honestly, in a world full of psychic fraud there are many bigger fish to fry.

To those who use, or consider using, the services of a psychic, I say this. A good psychic reading can be helpful beyond measure. Choose your reader based on reputation, but recognize that stardom is not necessarily the mark of an excellent reader.

Remember that the venue in which you have your reading matters. A private reading, whether in person or over phone or Skype, will always have more depth than a quick party reading or a reading on TV.

To my peer group of professional psychics I say this. There are a lot of great lessons for us here. The first, as I see it, is compassion. Let’s always phrase what we get with compassion.

The second is about the questions we ask. Whether we work with divination, clairs or some combination thereof, we are always asking questions of the Universe. “Is this person alive?” is never a good question to ask. “What can be done to find this person?” might give us some really helpful information.

The third is about the venues we seek. It is easy to say we would never appear on a show like Montel Williams. Until, of course, we are invited. I have turned down some TV offers over the years, like the guy who wanted me to wear a turban. Somehow, we have to find the balance between the true spiritual work we do and the entertainment side of the psychic biz. I think there is room for both, and I think a balance can be struck between the two.

The fourth addresses the concern that our audience might be tainted by Sylvia’s error. We need to remember that this is not the first time that Sylvia made this error. Sylvia also thought that Shawn Hornbeck was dead, many years prior. If Sylvia hasn’t tainted her audience by now, she certainly won’t taint ours.

Finally, we can’t control how other readers present themselves to the world. But each of us can control how we present to the world.

Let’s use this experience to remind ourselves of our own commitment to excellence in the work we are honored to do. What Sylvia has done just doesn’t matter. What we do going forward does.

What Does the Universe Want me to Know?

This is my favorite question to ask in a reading. It is great to have a list of questions prepared, but it is also wise to be open to the answers to questions you hadn't thought to ask.

When you ask this question, you allow your guides, angels and Higher Power to work with the reader to give you the information that you need to hear.

Often, this is a great way to begin a reading. It can also be a nice way to end the reading by asking for a final piece of wisdom from the Universe.

In a gallery setting, I offer this question as a way to recieve a reading if you are not sure what you want to ask.

As a tarot reader, the way to perform this technique is to simply ask the question and pull however many cards seem right, generally one, two or three. Let the cards give you the answer, and open yourself to be a true channel of universal wisdom.

The next time you are giving or receiving a reading, remember to ask this important question:

What does the Universe want me to know?

A Clear Line in the Sand

For this week’s blog post, I had intended a different topic.  Recent events in the news take precedence.  There was an article in the Sun-Sentinel about the sentencing of Gypsy psychic Olivia Evans.

 First, here is the letter I have written to the Sun-Sentinel.  I don’t know if they will publish it, but it contains everything I want to say to the public.  Following that, I will give my comments to the metaphysical community in general, and the tarot community in specific.

I am so pleased to read that justice has been served in the case against Gypsy psychic scam artist Olivia Evans, who will soon be serving time along with her relatives Bridgette Evans and Pollie Evans.

Very often, it is difficult to obtain convictions against these kinds of fraudulent practitioners, either because the victims are too embarrassed and afraid to come forward, or simply because the victims did the bidding of the con artists of their own free will.

I am a full-time professional tarot card reader, teacher and author.  Fraudulent Gypsy psychics like the Evans family have been the bane of my career.  I am distressed by the number of intelligent people I have met who have been frightened and swindled by these types of practitioners.  I am dismayed that many people assume my peers and I are guilty of the same dirty tricks.

In fact, many people don’t realize that there are trained metaphysical practitioners who might also be considered professional “psychics,” but conduct business very differently than these traditional Gypsies do.

We are highly trained professionals.  Often we have earned degrees and certifications.  We charge fair rates. We do what we do because we feel called to spiritual service.  Generally, we do not make the kind of money the Gypsies do, because we do not defraud anyone.

We volunteer our time and skill to charities.  For example, on December 18, 2011, Tarot Circle Meetup of the Palm Beaches raised 600 pounds of food for Feeding South Florida.  This is not unusual; truly spiritual people value charity and community.

What truly spiritual people don’t do is what the Evans ladies did.  We don’t scare people into giving us expensive gifts.  We don’t promise to reunited loved ones and perform medical miracles for a price.  We don’t suggest the need to lift curses or to be protected from demons. 

We do help our clients cope with their difficulties and suggest that they make improvements in practical ways, and sometimes in spiritual ways.  Those spiritual ways may involve prayer, meditation, introspection, the study of spiritual wisdom, positive thinking, visualization, Reiki healing, or Yoga.  These techniques should not be confused with magical cures for a price.

Although the Evans’ are behind bars, there are plenty of frauds still in practice and ready to take their place.  The Gypsy community is large, well organized, and well funded. 

Certainly, not every ethnic Rom is a con artist, nor is every dishonest psychic a Gypsy.  But the Evans case brings to light a few facts that bear mention.

First, even smart people can be victims to those who prey on fear. They are good at what they do, and have been doing it for generations.

Second, psychic readings can be a true source of entertainment, insight, inspiration and perspective.  But any metaphysical practitioner who claims to be able to solve your problems for you should be suspect, especially if that solution is based solely on magic performed by the reader herself and carries a hefty price tag.

As in all things, let the buyer beware.  There are guilds, associations and certifying organizations that vet metaphysical practitioners, just like any other profession.  If you want a psychic reading, want to learn tarot, cleanse your chakras, get your chart done or hire a reader for your next party, that’s terrific.  But please take the time to find one of the many honest, talented professionals who actually deserve your business, and who will behave as a caring, competent professional should.  I can guarantee you we won’t be sitting in a storefront behind a neon sign.

Finally, if you are in the unfortunate position of having been swindled by one of these fakes, call the police.  The only “demons” you are likely to encounter are the humans who want to fool you, scare you and trick you.

Thanks to the Sun-Sentinel for reporting such an important event.

Now I would like to speak directly to my community of metaphysical and tarot  students and professionals about this issue.

Sadly, these “Gypsy fortune-tellers” have a lot more visibility than we do.  It’s a fact that much of the general public can’t tell the difference between them and us.  Largely, we have let these charlatans define our industry for us.  Then we feel hurt and disenfranchised when the business world treats us with disdain and mockery.

I have often tempered my complaints against the Gypsies for fear of being guilty of perpetuating ethnic stereotypes.  The Rom have certainly suffered over the centuries, and today often claim to suffer the same discrimination that many other minorities suffer in this country, and worldwide.  I certainly do not want to suggest that we unite against any particular ethnic group.  As I said in my letter to the Sun-Sentinel, not every ethnic Rom is a con artist, nor is every dishonest psychic a Gypsy.  But the fact that Olivia Evans’ own defense attorney used her ethnicity as part of her defense (she couldn’t help it, she was raised that way) really opens the door for this conversation, in my opinion.

For a long time, I tried to make a distinction between capital-G “Gypsy” to describe the ethnicity, and lower case-g “gypsy” to describe the costumes, stereotypes and shoddy business practices associated with “gypsies.”

At this point, I have done enough research, and enough has happened in the legal arena, that I think it is time to be clear about what we are dealing with here.

It is time to draw a clear line in the sand between legitimate metaphysical practitioners and the Gypsies.

Of course, if a person of Rom heritage becomes a legitimate metaphysical practitioner, that’s not a problem.  Skilled professionals of any heritage are welcome in our community.

And if a person of any ethnicity chooses to engage in the fraudulent practices developed and perpetrated by the Gypsies, they deserve the full measure of our contempt.  It’s not a problem of culture, per se.

Here’s what else the problem is not.

It’s not a trained and revered Santero offering traditional ritual for a customary fee.

It’s not a well-intentioned tarot reader who happens to be lousy at reading the cards, or simply having a bad day.

Really, it is an organized ethnic criminal underground that functions throughout the United States, and the world.  Its profitable endeavors include this type of fraudulent “fortune-telling.”

So, what can we, as a community, do?

In my opinion, our best defense is education and visibility.  We need to stop letting our work be defined by the Gypsies.  We need to educate ourselves, our students, our clients and our communities about their tactics.  We need to be visible and available as alternatives to their practices.  Some people actually believe that if you want a psychic reading, you gotta pay the “candle fee.”  We need to tell the truth about the Gypsies, and about ourselves.

Of course, we need to make sure we are above reproach.  Our conduct and performance must be exemplary.  We would do well to cease our in-fighting, professional jealousy, and our “witch-wars” to unite against the obvious common enemy.

I am often concerned that many of my peers perform in gypsy costume, and hold gypsy-themed events.    While we, in our minds, may make a clear distinction between the fantasy gypsy stereotype and the Gypsy criminals (who often don’t dress in costume any more than any other ethnic group does), it may further cloud the issue for the public whom we are trying to educate. Also, it is important to note that contributing to that fantasy gypsy stereotype is disrespectful to those who are of Roma heritage.

I don’t imagine we will ever be able to change the behavior of the Gypsy temples.  But we can surely separate ourselves from them, and we can make sure the public knows that they have a clear choice.

I have removed and closed comments on this post. I appreciate the many people who commented in support of me, and the many people who asked questions. I am happy to engage in dialog with anyone, but I now have a new appreciation of the kinds of aggressive, manipulative  tactics people use to suppress the truth. What I have experienced on this post was an example to me of how fraudulent psychics use circular logic and bullying. If you have questions, look up the many arrest reports on file in towns all across the country, or visit this site: http://www.gypsypsychicscams.com.  If you have been defrauded by one of these con artists do not be embarrassed and do not be afraid. Simply call the police.